The Vector and Virus Core (Core C), previously named the Protein Interactions Core, was originally established to provide services for the expression of recombinant derived proteins in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems suitable for protein purification in-vitro and expression in-vivo, vector design and selection for in-vitro and in-vivo expression, biochemical characterization of protein interactions, (including FRET, split luciferase/GFP, and yeast two-hybrid screening systems), and generation of constructs for tandem affinity purification (TAP) and mass spectroscopy. The Core has evolved, responding to the needs of NINDS investigators and added new technologies to facilitate genetic and biochemical examination of biological systems. For example, the core produces 30-100 lentiviruses per year for shRNA expression. This prompted changing Core C name to the Vector and Virus Core. As the major theme of the Core C Laboratory is to accelerate genetic and biochemical studies of NINDS investigators by establishing new methodologies, Core C will implement services to provide lentiviral and AAV viruses for optogenetic probes, provide services for CRISPR/Cas 9 mediated gene editing, as well as continuing to provide services for protein interaction studies. The core also provides training to students, technicians, and post-doctoral fellows in molecular biology and virology. In addition, an added value of this core will be to foster collaborative interactions between NINDS supported investigators at UAB with similar research interests.